What I Love This Week

This week we had James’ six-month checkup at the pediatrician, lots of visits with family, and celebrated my best friend Kate’s birthday with dinner out in Boston (we went to Mida in the South End). It was a full but fun week, with a few hints of spring peeking out during the days. We’ll be spending St. Patrick’s Day at my parents’ house, eating PJ’s meatballs and sauce (I know. I know!). Hope you got to spend time doing something you enjoy this weekend!

READ

“In seeing his community, I became acutely aware of the feeling that I did not have my own. I had friends and a loving family. But as Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” And I spent my days focused on optimizing myself: Endlessly working and improving, on a permanent quest to do as much as possible in the unforgiving confines of 24 hours. It was the only way I knew how to be. Compete. Excel. Win.I had never considered there might be a cost to a life of high-octane, high-reward competition.”

LISTEN

I have my friend Erin to thank for this podcast recommendation. Season one of In the Dark is an investigation into the abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota, one of the most notorious child abductions in the country. For 27 years, investigators had no answers. APM Reports investigates how law enforcement mishandled the case and how those failures fueled national anxiety about stranger danger, led to the nation’s sex-offender registries, and raised questions about crime-solving accountability.

WATCH

The first season of “Shrill” was just released on Hulu on Friday so I haven’t seen it yet, but I can’t wait to watch this week. I have loved writer Lindy West for a long time now, and Shrill is the new Hulu series based on her memoir of the same name. Aidy Bryant plays the lead, a woman who seeks out ways to change her life without changing her body. You can watch the trailer here.